Yours
truly spent a dozen years in Italy studying and tasting some dolce
vita in cities like Rome and Florence. He fell in love with the bell
paese and everything beautiful coming from that country; most of all
the style. Italians have this way of creating that transcends typical "good
taste" into something deeper, sophisticated and cool at the same time. Think
about Maserati and Alfa Romeo, Armani and Valentino and you get the idea. The
same can be said for their high fidelity audio products.

Passione
I conserve vivid the memory of the first Pathos
amplifier I ever got my eyes onto. Also remember very well how my jaw dropped to
the ground in the sight of that unique piece of amplifier named Twin Towers and
resembling nothing else back in mid-nineties. At the time my rig hosted
amplifiers like Marantz, Harman Kardon and NAD which fall under the category of
hideous black boxes; take away the company logo and there is no chance you can
tell one from the other. Pathos was making a visual statement with wood,
aluminum and a few red capacitors for the final aesthetic touch. There was
indeed passion in that design.

Today Pathos Acoustics offers a complete line of
electronics including various amplifiers, CD players and DACs, even a pair of
speakers. The Classic Remix integrated reviewed here is the latest iteration of
the InPol architecture, meaning a hybrid design with tubes amplifying the source
tension and transistors for the current output, conservatively rated at 70 Watts
per channel @ 8 Ohm with a substantial power transformer and 45,000 μF of
filtering capacitors providing the necessary juice. Before rushing into
technicalities a few more words for the exterior design. Or maybe just one word,
sublime!

Attenzioneaidetagli
Fanatical attention to details has been given on all
aspects. The big volume knob in satin aluminum dominates the front panel and
creates a contrast with the body of the amplifier; my sample was finished in mat
black metallic color with tiny silver flakes. At an extra charge one can order
the Classic Remix in red, black or white lacquer or even in natural zebrano
wood. The heatsinks running on both sides are made from extruded aluminum
and bare the characteristic PATHOS logo leaving the entire chassis free from
signs and letters. Underneath the front fascia a small three digit display
serves as power and input monitor; the brightness is adjustable and remains
visible even during daylight. At the sides of the display two buttons act like
input and on/off selectors while next to them a standard USB port and a
headphone jack complete the front.

The only element that pops up from the top plate
is a pair of ECC88 / 6922 double triodes protected by three fins each. Looking
through the holes one can observe the excellent SMD boards laying underneath.
The back plate hosts everything else one would expect from an integrated
amplifier including the power button, one pair of speaker binding posts, 4 line
inputs and a pair of XLRs. The Classic Remix is a true balanced design and will
transform all single ended signals into balanced ones. A pre-out is also
available, meaning that the Classic Remix can act like a pre-amplifier in case
of future Watt quests. As with every integrated amplifier that respects the word
"integrated" in 2014 Pathos offers at an extra $895 charge the option of an
integrated DAC named HiDAC, designed around the Burr Brown 1793 chip and capable
of resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz. A complete set of digital connections (USB,
S/PDIF, and TosLink) are placed in the back. Pathos provides a USB memory stick with
all necessary drivers for Windows and iOS. The review sample came complete with
HiDac that acted as source for most of my listening sessions.

One of the most interesting features is the
potentiometer chip, the TI PGA 2310. Though it might seem as a digital one,
which translates into an incubo for
many audiophiles, this is a true analog device especially designed for audio
applications with wide gain, attenuation and excellent internal cross talk
measurements. The volume knob on the front will not act like a typical one, so
no 7 to 5 hour scale. When moved towards right it will pump up the volume and
when left in rest it will return to a perfect upright position leaving the looks
of the amplifier intact. Same goes for lowering the volume, a nice detail if you
ask me. A slick remote control also made from aluminum completes the package.
Interestingly, there are no markings on the remote either, meaning it will take
you a few days to get used to what each button does. The Classic Remix arrived
perfectly packed in a double carton box with standard power cord and a complete
set of instructions.

During my weeks with the Italian amplifier I
swapped the Electro-Harmonix valves provided by Pathos and used a pair of
Philips E88CC Miniwatt Special Quality gold pin tubes that many consider as the
best variant of the 6922 family. Besides saving the necessary time of burning
in, these Philips normally sound slightly more open and smoother than the stock
Electro-Harmonix ones. I would expect wider differences than the ones perceived,
therefor I concluded that part of the amplifiers character is dictated from the
output stage and tube rolling will not result as critical as with other tube
designs.

La Moglie di Cesare...Ceasar's wife must be above reproach and same goes for
amplifiers. The looks no matter how stunning are not enough to cut it, sound in
the end is what matters. And this is where the InPol architecture comes in play.
To test it I used my resident speakers, the three way ATC Studio Control Monitor
40 along with the ENIGMAcoustics M1 Mythology two way bass reflex monitors with
matching Sopranino super-tweeter. Both speakers declare a lowish 85dB/1Watt/1m
sensitivity but the impedance curve is benign and the Classic Remix had no
problem in driving them to more than adequate sound pressure levels, with peaks
measured at 95dBs in the listening position for both set ups.

For starters a pop icon, Amy Winehouse in what
appears to me as her most emotional song, "Love is a Loosing Game", from Back
to Black (Island Records, FLAC). Emotional it is with the Pathos, a
somewhat melancholic interpretation from an already downhearted Amy. In fact the
drums appeared a tad shy, losing some edge while blending adequately to the
overall mood. This was a very enjoyable performance that got me thinking about
the character of this Italian amplifier.

Moving to a jazz all-star team, Dizzy Gillespie
with Stan Getz and Sonny Stit in the sensational For
Musicians Only [Verve Records FLAC] and the Russian folk song "Dark
Eyes" recorded in just one take with the pace being fast, very fast and
musicians entering the center stage without losing a single hit. And best of all
the Pathos was keeping the tempo in a fantastic way, like participating in the
session as a soloist among equals. I also admired the way the little amplifier
revealed the sonic differences between Gillespie's trumpet, Stit's alto sax and
Getz with his tenor saxophone. Slight nuance differences coming from the three
wind instruments made it easy to imagine the pandemonium of that epic session.
Euphonic yet clear and definitely consonant sound came from both set ups, the
Enigmacoustics speakers with Sopranino supertweeter had a slightly more airy top
than my ATCs which presented a more neutral character and probably a bit closer
to the recorded event.

If a jazz ensemble got me so excited I thought
that a classic counterpart would do at least as much. Borodin Quartet playing
Borodin's second quartet [EMI ASD 4100 LP] is a true hidden gem of the 20th
century classical music. Cellist Valentin Berlinsky spent more than 60 years in
the lead of this ensemble and if you even remotely listen to classic music find
for your collection a nice clean copy of this LP. The Pathos-Mythology
combination excelled in this recording; despite leaving something back in terms
of attack and ultimate detail in the mid frequencies. The sound was a bit syrupy
but with a sense of flow in the viola and cello passages that made up for those
tiny defects. This combination was more enjoyable than the one with the bigger
ATCs; I guess the English monitors command a beefier drive in order to give
their best like my ASR Emitter I Exclusive (sort of) integrated amplifier. The
180 lbs. German monster has kept me company for years and despite being
categorized as an integrated amplifier having three chassis hardly can be
considered as one. It is an unfair match for the less than one third the price
and weight Pathos amplifier being as expected less capable in driving
capabilities and resulting in a narrower soundstage and less defined lower
octaves. The main difference though was a certain character that emerged, which
was there, clearly audible in all recordings. The sound had a sensation of
compact, focused timbre in the mid frequencies, as opposed to the airier ASR
emitter. Slightly laid back, liquid and warm is what I would call the Classic
Remix. A bad thing? Let me tell you that after playing side one and two of the
quartets I went back and played side one again. And side two, again. In fact it
was so appealing that I could not move on with my writing.

There are two bonuses coming with the Classic
Remix, the first one is the digital section, which was more than adequate for
the requested price and stood up very well against the just introduced Pioneer
U-05 DAC (€800 for the European market, though not available in the USA). The
Pioneer can handle DSD as an extra and being built around a pair of ESS SABRE
9016 DAC chips results in a more detailed sound than the HiDac in certain rock
classics like AC/DC's Back in Black [Atlantic Records FLAC] but lacks in
terms of musicality when acoustic and jazz records hit the playlist. In fact the
HiDac module is similar to the one used in the well-known Pathos Digit and
Endorphine CD players with the addition of a USB to I2S receiver
designed by Marco Manunta of M2Tech. Sounds like a great pedigree for a built-in
DAC and there is more. The HiDac will be upgraded within 2015 to the new "Evo"
version which will include a web application resulting in the possibility to
control the DAC through a PC and to connect a hard disk and a Wi-Fi dongle
directly to the Classic Remix transforming this integrated into a music center.
This upgrade will be made available to those who have already purchased the
existing HiDac with a visit to the authorized dealer. The application is still
in beta so there was no way of testing it.

The second bonus is the headphone section. Using
the Audeze LCD-X and playing "Cornflake Girl" by Tori Amos [Atlantic Records
FLAC] the sound was transparent, tonally well balanced and the piano notes had a
nice, naturally long decay. No sign of congestion while maintaining the
characteristic tube warmth and effortless sound. I was so positively impressed
that I immediately contacted the Pathos team in Italy and requested details
about the headphone section design. This is not just a
headphone amplifier; they implemented a dedicated power supply and used the tube
pre amplifier with a specially designed power output section in order to get 1.6
Watts / 32Ohm! This was more than enough to drive the Audeze cans with finezza, deep bass and faithful timbre. For comparison let me
point out that the Pioneer U-05 headphone section only outputs 180mW / 32 Ohm
clearly lacking the impact of the Pathos counterpart.

Ilconto, Per Favore!
I haven't said anything about the price, yet. This is
a drop dead gorgeous little amplifier, coming from a company known for the
stylish design and takes advantage of the Pathos Acoustics proprietary InPol
circuitry with the sound resulting at least as beautiful as the exterior looks.
It packs not only a well-designed DAC which will be receiving additional
features in the near future but also a headphone amplifier that will embarrass
many stand-alone entry to medium level models both in terms of power and quality
of sound. The main amplifier has a certain character but I think of it more like
a design decision rather than a compromise. It managed to play along with my
notoriously hard to drive ATCs and did not embarrassed itself with the very
expensive ENIGMAcoustics Mythology monitors. Being a hybrid combines warmth and
musicality of the tube section with the drive of a solid-state power output
bringing together the best of two worlds. It even held the ground against the
mighty ASR emitter which rivaled in terms of musicality. Built quality is
excellent and one would never guess this unit is only $5190 with HiDac included.
What more could you ask for?